Retinoscope



J. H. GROUT RETINOSCOPE June 11, 1940.

Filed Oct. 10, 1938 Patented June 11, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE p j 2,204,914; e v

RETINOSCOPE I l, James. H. Grout, Chicago, Ill. Application October 10, 1938, Serial No. 234.265 i 4 Claims. (or. 88-20) 1 -This invention relates to improvements in diagnostic.instruznents,such as retinoscopes, and the like, which are provided with a small aperture or sight opening and have an illuminating 5 attachment usually consisting of a small incandescent lamp bulb whose rays are reflectedby a mirror in front of the sight opening, the mirror being provided with a sight opening or clear space in alinement with the sight opening in the 1 instrument so as not to impair the line of. vision. 1 One of the objects of the invention is to provide in a device of this character improved means whereby the axis of anastigmaticeye may be determined and the various meridians scanned, the fundus of the eye being illuminated by two streaks or hands of light at substantially right angles to each other, the horizontal streak serving to scan the vertical meridians and the hori-. zontal meridians being scanned by the vertical streak, that is, after neutralizing the axis meridian, with one streak, the second meridian is neutralized with the other streak which is exactly 90away, and at anytime during the examination the operator may always scan the other 25.n1eridian by streak.

A' furtherobject is toprovide an improved device of this character embodying means whereby the necessityof readjustment eachtime the grip 1 0 is loosened, the handmoved, or the instrument laid down for phoropter adjustment will be obviated, thereby resulting in greater rapidity and}.

accuracy in findings; and the axis will not be found by approximation or trial and error method. i i A further object is to provide in a deviceof this character improved means whereby the rotative movement as well as the axial adjustment or movement of the light; streaks will be effected by the movement of finger engagingportions movable only in directions lengthwise of the longitudinal axis of theinstrument or supporting handle.

To the attainment of these ends and the accomplishment of other new and useful objects as will appear, the invention consists in the features of novelty in substantially the construction, combination and arrangement of the several parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawing illustrating this invention, and in which Figure 1 is a-view in elevation of an instrument of this character constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention, and as taken from the patients side of the instrument.

merely observing with the other Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 2-2. of Figure 1 on an enlargedscale. Figure 3 isa detail sectional view as taken 'on line 3-3 Figure. 2 on an enlargedscale.

Figure 4 is anirregular sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken oiilineli- -tli igure 2.

Figure 5 is a front elevation of a portion of the instrument or handle showing a scale or graduation in conjugation with which the light streaks are operated. i

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral Ill designates generally a handle or support for the instrument which is hollow and Which may be of any desired sizeandconfiguration. The upper end of the handle is preferably shaped to form a circumferential shoulder l2 spaced from the extremity of the handle and in such extremity is arranged a lens IS.

The handle ill is preferably of a sectional construction, the upper section It thereof telev scoping into the lower section and being provided with a peripheral shoulder I5 which abuts the adjacent extremity of the lower section, thereby enabling the operator to have ready access to. the mechanism within the handle.

Disposed within the handle is a hollow or tubular member It supported for longitudinal movement in a hearing I! which bearing is suitably supported and holds the tubular member it cen tral with respect to the handle.

sleeved over the extremity of the tubular member l6 so that its extremity will abut the circumferential shoulder Hi. This will permit the cap and screen 2| to be readily removed when desired to replace the lamp or bulb if necessary.

The screen 2| is preferably formed of frosted glass but any other suitable opaque material may be employed. The entire screen is opaque with the exception of two narrow strips or portions 23-24, which latter are translucent so as to per mit the rays oflight from the bulb or lamp 28 to pass through the screen to the lens It. The translucent strips or portions 23-24 are arranged at rightangles to each other and will produce ribbon shaped. beams at right angles is provided in its periphery with elongated teeth 2?, any number of which may be provided, and these teeth may be of any desired length.

Meshing with the teeth 2'! are teeth 28 of a gear or rotatable member 29. This member 29 is provided with reduced extremities 3B, which are journaled in bearings 31 carried by a bifurcated member 32 which latter is secured to the casing of the lower section of the handle It. The gear 29 standing within the bifurcation of the member 32 will be held against movement in the.

direction of its axis but will be adapted for free rotation and when rotated will impart a cor responding rotation to the tubular member it as well as the screen 2i so as to permit the beams of light of ribbon formation tobe rotated for the purpose of scanning the various meridians of the eye.

The gear 29 is actuated by means of a finger engaging button 33 which is disposed outside of the handle. This button is connected to a bar or rod 34, a portion of which extends in a direction lengthwise of the axis of the gear 29 and is twisted or given a spiral formation as indicated at 35. The rod M passes through an opening 36 in the gear 29 and fits the opening with the result that when the finger engaging portion 33 is moved lengthwise of the handle the rod 35 will be similarly moved and as it passes through the gear 29 it will cause the gear to rotate, thereby rotating the tubular member iii and with it the screen and the beams of light.

Any suitable friction creating means, such as indicated as at 31, may be provided so as to maintain thefinger engaging portion 33 and the rod 35 as well as the gear 29 in their adjusted positions.

Arranged along the outside of the handle it are graduations 38 with which pointers 39 on the construction and is provided with the reduced extremity 40 providing a shoulder M. This reduced extremity is telesccped into another tubular section 32 that is provided with a slot 43 through which a fastening screw 44 passes and engages the tubular member it to hold the sections of the tube together but allows the sections to be rotated one with respect to the other.

The tubular section 42 telescopes into another tubular section 45 within the handle, all serving as a bearing for supporting the tubular member ltl l for longitudinal movement in' the handle iii. A contact terminal at carried by an insulating member l? is arranged in the tubular member 42 and an electrical connection, 53 is provided between the terminals 46 and the lamp 20.

Connected to this section 42 is a handle 43 which projects through a slot M in the handle it and by means of which the operator may move the tubular member It together with the lamp bulb 2t and the screen 2| longitudinally in the handle so as to move the screen 2! to the desired distance toward or away from the lens 13.

a cap for the end of the handle I!) and also a means of electrically connecting the device to a source of supply of current.

A hood 52 is sleeved over the end of the handle so as to abut the shoulder l2 and within the hood is arranged an inclined mirror 53 provided with a clear space, or if desired an opening 54 arranged in alinement with a sight opening 55, and these two openings are also in register with an opening 56 through which the beams of light are reflected into the patients eye.

It will be noted that the fundamental difference between the present invention and the devices heretofore employed is the fact that two streaks of light are reflected in the form of an L and which are 90 apart and that the scale which is provided on the body of the instrument with a movable indicator gives the meridian in which either streak is being moved or is lying.

In use when the meridian indicator is moved to the top of the scale, the vertical and horizontal meridians are scanned, the vertical being scanned with the horizontal streak 'or ribbon and thehorizontal meridian being scanned by the vertical streak. This obviates the necessity of a sleeve rotation.

After producing against motion in one meridian and near neutral in the other, the axis will be found and this becomes a simple process with these right angularly dispose ribbons of light. One of the ribbon streaks is moved through the meridians having with, or the least against motion, until the reflex is seen to move with no'obliquity. In the case of the high astigmope the instrument is changed into a concave mirror scope by moving the finger engaging portion 33 downwardly and with the other streak focusing a band in the eye that coincides with the streak across the eye. In either case the axis is now given accurately on the instrument. The meridian indicator now remains set in this position through the entire examination. After neutralizing the axis meridian with one streak, the second meridian is neutralized with the other which is set exactly 90 away, and the eye is corrected. I

At any time during the examination the operator may always scan the other meridian by merely observing with the other streak.

This technique parallels the present streak technique, but differs in that the axis is not found by approximation or trial and error meth- 0d, and that a sleeve need not be rotated from By the arrangement of the two streaks of light at an angle of 90 with respect to each other renders it possible to provide an accurate scale which will be only about half the length of the ordinary scale in instruments employing only a single straight ribbon of light.

While the preferred form of the invention has been herein shown and described, it is to be understood that various changes maybe made in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts within the scope of the claims, without departing from the spirit of this invention.

What is claimed as new is:

I. In a retinoscope of the character described, a handle, a lamp support, a lamp rotatably mounted upon the support, means for rotating said lamp with respect to the handle, the last said means embodying, teeth on the said support, a gear meshing with the teeth, a finger engaging element slidable lengthwise of the support, and a stem to which the, said element is connected, said stem being axially twisted and passing through the gear, whereby when the stem is moved longitudinally through the gear the latter will be rotated.

2. In a retinoscope of the character described,

a handle, a lamp support, a lamp rotatably supported on said support, means for rotating the lamp with respect to said support, the last said means embodying, teeth on the support, agear meshing with the teeth, a finger engaging element slidable lengthwise of the handle, a stem to which the said element is connected, said stem being axially twisted and passing through the gear, whereby when the stem is moved longitudi- 'nally through the gear the latter will be rotated,

and means for moving the said lamp support in directions lengthwise of the axis of said handle, thesaid teeth being elongated, whereby the support may be longitudinally moved with respect to said gear.

3. In a retinoscope, a handle, a light bulb supported thereby, a reflector also supported by the handle and positioned to receive the rays from the bulb, a screen disposed between the light bulb and said reflector and mounted for rotation and for bodily adjustment with respect to the reflector, said screen being opaque and provided with narrow translucent portions arranged at substantially right angles, one forming a continuation of the other, means for axially rotating said screen, and indicating means with which a portion of the last recited means co-operates to indicate the extent of rotation of said screen, the

saidindicating means and the said translucent portions of said screen being in conjugation.

4. In a retinoscope, a handle, a light bulb sup ported thereby, a reflector also supported by the handle and positioned to receive the rays from the bulb, ascreen disposed between the light bulb and said reflector and mounted for rotation and for bodily adjustment with respect to the rethe said indicating means and the said translucent portions of said screen being in conjugation and provided with corresponding color designations.

JAMES H. GROUT. 

